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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28844538">I Hope You Had the Time of Your Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/standsinthetrees/pseuds/standsinthetrees'>standsinthetrees</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>3RACHA, Alcohol Mentions, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bittersweet Ending, Dialogue Heavy, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life, some are from around the us, some are international students, takes place in northern california but that isn't really important, the mentioned idols and various members from those groups make appearances, they use their korean names cuz they are with each other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:40:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28844538</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/standsinthetrees/pseuds/standsinthetrees</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"I think I have to say it, but I’m really fucking grateful I found you guys. And-and I hope we stay friends– no, family for as long as possible...  I’m gonna miss this… miss us."</p><p>OR They've all finally graduated from college, and they take a trip down memory lane.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Be Kind: Rewind! | SKZ 90s Fic Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Hope You Had the Time of Your Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>When I saw this song (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc">Good Riddance "Time of your Life" by Green Day</a>) on the prompt list, I literally could not resist choosing this song. This idea pretty much instantly came to mind. The dialogue in the beginning in italics represents Korean.<br/>Since I had my first semester on college online, I asked a bunch of friends to give me random stories from their college experience to use. So shoutout to them. I'm really grateful they told me all these hilarious shenanigans.<br/>Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>‘Deep breath in. Deep breath out,’ he reminds himself as he looks over at the time and then back to the mirror. ‘Straighten up your tie. Hurry up and walk to the hall.’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pockets his phone and does what he was telling himself to. Four years, blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of airplane miles later, he’s done it. He can finally join the rest of his friends in the big, scary adult world. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, so maybe he has to actually walk across the stage before he can properly join his friends. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot</span>
  </em>
  <span> afford to trip and fall on his face and be that person. And he can’t have sweaty palms as he shakes the hand of their school president’s hand. He physically shakes his head as if that would brush off the thoughts. With one last breath to try and calm his nerves, he steps forward to where they were supposed to meet to line up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye! You made it, Innie!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin whirls around to see Beomgyu waving a hand at him, and Jeongin smiles brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gyu! I’m not late, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, you’re just on time. I just got here like thirty seconds ago. Then I saw Kai, Taehyun, Jay, and the rest of the tiny children, so I went over to them. But here you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here I am,” Jeongin agrees. “It’s crazy how the small children all managed to skip a grade somewhere along the line.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not if you consider the fact that they’re just geniuses. I thought that was clear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin hums and looks over at the group Beomgyu had mentioned. “Yeah... it’s still crazy. Are you gonna celebrate with them after?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, our groups are merging together for a big dinner later. We’re gonna do some casual stuff right after the ceremony in our small groups though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds nice. We’re all planning on having lunch at the diner after pictures and stuff. Kind of as a last hurrah,” Jeongin fiddles with his hair</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Last hurrah? Aso we have to take pictures together before you leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, for sure. Let’s meet here after the ceremony. And yeah, last hurrah. I’m gonna go back to Busan for </span>
  <em>
    <span>eomma</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s sake. I think I’m leaving in a few days; I'll have to double check the flight. I know 3RACHA’s going to Australia with Lixie and Seungmin for a year. They’re spending their first year signed there. I think they all plan on moving to LA. I’m not sure about Lix or Min, but Chan, Changbin, and Jisung are. Minho’s going on tour as a dancer. And Hyunjin’s the only one staying here for work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu shakes his head in disbelief. “I keep forgetting you’re going back to Korea.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Yeah... At least for now. I couldn’t find something I liked here. But I’m still gonna be applying for jobs. You’re staying here, right?”</span>
</p><p>
 <span>“Yeah. Yeonjun’s parents are letting me live with them. They live like ten minutes away from the startup.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“I wish I was staying here though,” Jeongin sighs. “I don’t wanna leave... California really grew on me. I’d be happy if I got a job in Norcal or Socal, preferably Socal… Just so I can stay close to Channie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm. Makes sense,” Beomgyu blinks as various people of their particular school gather them by the hall. “Ah fuck, it’s starting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit. We have to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They say goodbye to each other and part ways since they have to line up alphabetically by last name and Choi and Yang are nowhere near each other in the alphabet. The ceremony started with the student speeches, then transitioned into teacher speeches, the president’s speech, and a guest speech (some hotshot CEO Jeongin couldn’t care less about). Finally, there was the two hour long diploma ceremony. Jeongin heard all the people who he knew in the audience yell and cheer for their various friends. However, when his name was called, all he could hear were the seven boys who got him through these four years. He makes it across the stage without tripping, his hands aren’t too sweaty as he shakes the president’s hand, and he does all of it successfully. He looks at the crowd as he returns to his seat and sees the boys sitting with his parents, holding the most obnoxious posters he has ever seen in his entire life. He can’t hold up the people behind him, so he sends them a blinding smile that he hopes portrays his gratitude instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the ceremony ends, he makes his way over to the place he’d planned with Beomgyu and texts his family and friends his location. After a moment, he sees Beomgyu walking toward him with his group and Jay’s group. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Jay yells as he gets closer. “I didn’t get to talk to you earlier, but congrats! We did it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Congrats to you too. You’ve brought the fetuses with you I see.”</span>
  <span></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just ‘cause I’m the youngest of us all doesn’t mean you can call us the fetuses. You don’t see Chan calling you a fetus,” Niki’s eyes glint with mischief as he hides behind Sunoo, knowing what would be coming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come here you brat!” Jeongin shouts, playfully trying to swat at the youngest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Innie, Innie, Innie please. Spare the child,” Beomgyu pets Jeongin’s head. “We also gotta finish our conversation from before.”</span>
</p><p> <span>“Deal. But first, we should take our picture together. We can add the other small children who graduated with us too. If you’re still here tomorrow, we can meet up for lunch or something.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Us two first. The oldest have to have better memories. And yeah I’ll still be here. Meet at the cafe like we always did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin grins, the nostalgia already washing over him. “I like the way you think, Choi Beomgyu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beomgyu returns his smile before turning to the rest of them. “Any of you children, take mine and Innie’s photos. The clicking way. I want all the candids.”</span>
</p><p> <span>“Clicking way?” Kai asks as he hands the phone over to Taehyun who seems to understand.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Basically, you just keep on clicking the button while the others pose and move around in hopes of a good picture,” Taehyun holds the camera up and makes sure the two are in the frame when he starts clicking away. “Go wild.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them start posing in the most overly dramatic and hilarious poses they can think of. A kick to the camera here, a pose holding each other in an obviously fake chokehold there, and some cute little hearts and simpler poses they could show their parents as well. Once picture time is done, Jeongin notices his boyfriend, their group of friends, and his family walking over to where they are. With a short yell, Jeongin grabs the phone from Taehyun’s hand and shoves it into Chan’s (who immediately gives the phone to Seungmin).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Channie, take photos for us, please?” he asks with puppy dog eyes he knows Chan can’t resist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about we let Minnie do it, and then we’ll take pictures together once you finish your group photos,” Chan replies before pressing a soft kiss to the younger’s cheek. “Congratulations, Innie.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin feels his cheeks turn slightly red at the kind words but quickly turns around so the others who walked up behind Chan couldn’t make fun of him. He yells for the rest of the graduating class to line up for photos and join the six for pictures. After some more crazy and cute poses, Beomgyu and all the others leave with hugs, promises to keep in touch, and yells of making sure the pictures are sent to everyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Jeongin makes it to the crowd waiting just for him: his two families. He knows there’s absolutely no escaping what’s coming, so he just opens his arms and waits for the seven others to jump on him for a hug. As expected, Chan is the first one to knock him to the ground; followed by Changbin, Felix, Jisung, Hyunjin, Seungmin, and lastly Minho. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—I can’t breathe,” Jeongin wheezes out from underneath the doggy pile. Hearing that, Minho gets off, prompting the rest of the boys to slowly stand up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>We’re so proud of you, Jeongin,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” his mother says as she reaches out for a hug. He launches himself into his mother’s arms; it’s been so long since he’s seen her and heard her voice in person. A couple of tears escape his eyes as she holds him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I thought you weren’t going to make it. I’m really glad you’re here.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Letting go of his mother, he makes his way to his brothers. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>And you’re here too.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Chan hyung came up with the idea we should surprise you. Maybe it was a little mean thinking about it, but you deserve it,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” his younger brother says as he briefly hugs Jeongin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Channie is such a good boy. I’m glad he’s your friend,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” his older brother says as he pats Jeongin’s head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m really glad he’s in my life too,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Jeongin returns as he lets himself be petted for a bit longer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mother coughs lightly to get Jeongin’s attention. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s get pictures of you and your friends.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Eomma,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Jeongin complains, but hands his brother his phone and moves over to where his best friends are waiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon. Let’s take pictures.” He fits himself into the group, and they all go through various Jeongin-centric poses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Innie, do you want family photos?” Seungmin asks once they finished taking all their photos. “I can take them for you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin nods and lines his family up for a picture... or ten. Once they get started, they go through every combination possible. In the end, they have a bystander take a picture of what he calls “his whole family.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jeongin-ah, when planning all of this, Chan-ah told us about your lunch plan. We thought we would go and see some sights for the day. Tomorrow, you’ll be our tour guide, okay? Chan-ah also said that we could come for dinner, so we’ll tell you both if we do,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” his mom tells him as she gives him one last hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin hums as he lets go of his mom. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay… Are you sure though?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>We have your brother. We’ll be able to manage the bare minimum,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” his mother assures him as she makes shooing hand motions. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now go be with your friends.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A chorus of farewells comes from the boys as Jeongin’s family walks away from the group. Once they are out of listening range, the other seven yell out various hoots and hollers as someone lifts Jeongin up. Back on the ground, he makes several disgusted noises that match his facial expression, but his eyes betray how fond he is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you all made it. I was worried.”</span>
</p><p> <span>“For what? We would never in a million years miss our little Innie’s graduation. I made sure my flight goes out tomorrow, so we have the whole day together,” Minho says as he moves his hands to squeeze Jeongin’s cheeks. </span></p><p>
  <span>Various noises and phrases of agreement ring out from the crowded boys. Some were ready to give whole speeches about how proud of him they are and how they could never ever forgive themselves if they missed his graduation. Others want to squeeze the boy in more hugs because ‘as if they would ever miss such an important date’ (a direct quote from the one and only Han Jisung). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Regardless, they all begin the familiar walk towards the diner they have frequented over the years. Falling easily into the dynamics he’s missed, Jeongin can’t help the large grin spreading across his lips as he sees his whole group of friends in front of him. It’s been nearly six months since they all were together, with Minho leaving for tours, 3RACHA gaining popularity and playing shows all over America, and the others coming and going from NorCal. He doesn’t know when over the next few years this will happen again, so he soaks in the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they arrive at the diner, the hostess who’s been working there for a few years (a kind Korean-Canadian named Lia who came down to the States for school) sits them all at their usual table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t seen you guys in a while. Still want your regular orders?” she asks without passing them menus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know it. You probably won’t be seeing us for a while either,” Chan says, flashing a bright smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Neither will you. Since we all graduated this year, I’m moving back to Canada.” Lia laughs as she turns to walk away. “I have to say, you made this job much more entertaining. I could always look forward to seeing you lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a shame! I’ll miss you.” Hyunjin almost yells to make sure Lia heard him. “Man, who’s gonna know my regular when I come here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Turn your frown upside down, baby.” Minho holds one of Hyunjin’s hands and uses his other hand to jokingly wipe “tears” from his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to throw up. No nasty couple stuff. Just for one last day…” Jeongin trails off in attempts to not become emotional.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my… Is our little Yeni sad we’re all leaving?” Jisung leans forward with a conspiratorial grin. “It’s okay. I’m pretty sure we’ll all be jealous of you going back to Korea. I miss it. Say hello to Korea for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just because you said it, absolutely not. I refuse,” Jeongin says with a mischievous tight-lipped smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shot through the heart… and you’re to blame,” Jisung says dramatically as he settles into the booth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan gets back to the topic at hand, stopping Jisung from becoming even more dramatic. “Anyway, today’s rules. No coupling so no PDA. No gagging. Only eating and talking. Is that a deal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If the coupling is brought up in conversation, is that okay?” Felix holds onto Jisung’s hand under the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ji and Lix are gonna have a hard time with this one. They’re already holding hands,” Seungmin calls out before Chan can answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes that’s fine, Lix. And Min, as long as I can’t see it, I say it’s good.” Chan sends a knowing look at Seungmin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin backs off while he feels a hand snake into his own. “Yeah… Okay, fair enough.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Let’s start off with Yeni catching us up on the dumb shit happening in this place,” Minho says brightly (which causes Hyunjin to slap his side from surprise).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, well, um, Figg was an absolute legend this semester. I had to have him for my last gen ed. I’m kinda sad you never had him Channie. He’s so funny, tells the best stories and is the most understanding professor I’ve ever had.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh he’s the best. Probably the best professor I had. Why’d you have him though? Oh wait, the arts gen ed requirement. Makes sense now, yeah,” Jisung rambles as he realizes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got into a few fun shenanigans with Gyu and his friend group, including the new young ones,” Jeongin continues, but is interrupted when Lia comes back to their table with drinks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry to interrupt, I got your guys’s drinks,” Lia says quickly as she slides a few milkshakes, sodas, and a singular glass of water across the table. “And your food will be out in twenty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The eight boys chorus a thank you as they all unwrap their straws and have at it. While they slurp away at their drinks, the song changes from an Ariana Grande song (that Changbin was definitely not bobbing his head to) to Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” When Jisung hears the first chord and following notes play, he chokes on his milkshake and looks up at the group with wide eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think this is aptly timed,” is all he says as he goes back to drinking his milkshake. Slowly the others realized the song which caused them to slowly look around the group with small smiles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I have to say it, but I’m really fucking grateful I found you guys,” Felix starts softly. “And—and I hope we stay friends—no, family, for as long as possible. And I know I shouldn’t get all sappy, but I’m going back home and I’m only bringing 3RACHA and Minnie with me. And it kinda sucks that for at least a year, we can’t really meet up unless we group call or something. And I just… I wanna go back to when we were all together. And when Channie was freaking out over this cutie who we befriended after he left because he’s a hag. Or when Jin and Lino and Sungie decided to drag us all to a party but we all left because we realized we’d be better off having a dumb movie night with cheap boxed wine. I’m gonna miss this… miss us. Please don’t stop talking because time zones and schedules get in the way,” Felix’s eyes fill with tears as Billie Joe Armstrong croons the first verse of the song.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin tries for a grin. “Lixie, I can assure you that I’m not going anywhere but the group chat. I’m gonna be so annoying, you’re gonna absolutely hate me. I’m gonna be here… all alone… in Norcal… Even my baby won’t be here to threaten me. I’ll need the entertainment at abnormal times.” Hyunjin quickly hides into Jisung’s arms as he tries (and fails) to avoid being smacked by his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brat,” Minho mutters as he goes back to his drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the brat you’ll be missing when you go back on tour.” Hyunjin barely sticks his tongue out before Minho hits his arm again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No PDA,” Chan jokingly tuts as he looks over the group with fond eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Says the dude who has his arm around his boyfriend.” Minho rolls his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He just graduated! I’m allowed to do this much. Plus he’ll be spending time with family, then he’ll be off to Busan while I’m going back to Sydney.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope you’re looking at me while I do this again,” Minho states with an evil smile. He rolls his eyes once again but it’s about three times more pronounced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we go back to soft hours?” Felix interrupts. “I really preferred talking about our old shenanigans. Things we won’t be able to do because we’ll be old as bones soon.”</span>
</p><p> <span>“I don’t know… I think we’ll still be going to parties as a group and then deciding an old Disney Channel Movie marathon is much better,” Hyunjin shrugs. “Oh, and with the cheap box wine of course.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Or how about that time you, me, and Lino decided to go to a party, but then you got smashed and realized you had feelings for Lino,” Jisung tells Hyunjin with an evil smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! So we’re playing dirty?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. That’s how you realized you liked me? The party?” Minho’s eyes widen as he stares at Hyunjin. “You little sh–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be fair,” Hyunjin says quickly, “I had an inkling but drunk me decided to stare at you and sort out all my internalized shit with a somewhat sober Jisung.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay! Minho, please don’t murder your boyfriend. Any other stories of how people found out they had feelings for each other?” Chan asks as he moves to hold onto Jeongin’s arm, cradling it now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin sends Changbin a sidelong smirk. “I mean, we all knew I joined this ragtag group because Changbin fell in love with me and Hyunjin and I shared a few classes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But how did Changbin e–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was staring at me in the library. And he was not subtle… yeah he wasn’t subtle at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin snorts. “You’re you… I’m sorry your beauty captured me, and I’m sorry my staring annoyed you into falling for my amazing personality.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was never here for your personality. I was solely enraptured by your arms.” Seungmin’s voice is deadpan as he lifts his drink to take another sip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ouch… We know Jeongin started somewhat liking Chan during our first group meeting. But when did it… happen? ‘Cause two years ago, you guys were just, well, dating, and we didn’t really question it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I was cautious because I’m obviously older than you lot. So I tried to just pretend I didn’t have feelings and move on, but ultimately I couldn’t. I guess I was obvious enough, so Jeongin asked me out. So here we are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Jeongin says, surprised. “You weren’t obvious to me because I chose not to see it. I just wanted to shoot my shot. We’d known each other for two years, and I really liked you. So I just asked you out and you said yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lia walks to their table with their food balanced on her arms and joins their collective cooing without questioning anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna assume we’re making fun of Chan?” she asks as she hands out the food in the familiar order. The boys form an assembly line as they pass the dishes to their respective owners. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we were. But what he did was kinda sweet,” Jisung says as he grabs his plate of food, the last one in the assembly. “And responsible, not going after Jeongin and all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The oldest? Responsible? Who would have thought? It’s totally not like he’s saved your asses like at least ten times from being kicked out over the like two maybe three years I’ve worked here. Keep these boys in check for the rest of your life, I swear.” She pats Chan’s head and walks back to the kitchen to deposit the trays.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why does everyone believe I can’t be responsible?” Jisung pouts, crossing his hands over his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Baby, I hate to say it, but I kinda agree with that. You almost forgot to bring food to the first date you planned. It was a picnic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung sends Felix a wounded look. “Lixie, love, why are you doing me dirty like this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They deserve to know the truth,” Felix laughs, turning his mischievous expression toward the rest of them. “Jisung asked me out after five months of us knowing each other, but then forgot to bring food to the picnic date he planned. Luckily we didn’t go off-campus so we just went to the mart and got food. It was endearing, though!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aww, I’m glad I was cute enough for you, baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Disgusting,” Jeongin gags. “That’s enough couple-talk before I gag. Also how has this stuff literally never come up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We probably have talked about this and just forgot. I know I don’t trust myself to remember this stuff sober— we were probably drunk off our asses.” Minho lightly facepalms his face as he realizes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Seungmin grabs a few fries and dips them into his milkshake as he says, “Yeah, that sounds likely. Cheap boxed wine may taste like actual shit, but it gets the job done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For shits and giggles, one day we’ll have to buy shitty boxed wine again,” Jisung sighs wistfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not Sungie. Never ever ever ever. I refuse to buy that monstrosity.” Changbin leans forward and whacks Jisung on the head. “We’ve got some money now to invest in actual decent wines. Uh, if we pool together all our 3RACHA money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah that’s not happening. Maybe Hyunjin can buy us good wines,” Jisung offers up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yah! Why me?” Hyunjin asks, ready to fling a fry in his direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin shrugs. “You’ve got a fancy job with a steady income… and a really nicely designed apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yang Jeongin, can you imagine an interior designer, more specifically me, having shit designing in my place of residence? When I come from work, I don’t wanna see more stress. That’s all I see in my day-to-day. I want a nice, calming place to come home to where I can pass out on the couch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of couches, three A.M. Horse-opoly… That was a fun time,” Chan remembers. “You guys wreaked havoc in my apartment at three in the morning. I got so many noise complaints, even those who weren’t neighbors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First of all, </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> apartment. It was us and then Changbin’s after his claim went through and he got approval to live off campus.” Minho raises an eyebrow challengingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bin and you joined in the ruckus, though. I was the only one who tried to keep in mind that it was three am and you can’t scream bloody murder or encourage someone else to scream bloody murder. You were so close to bankruptcy—ah shit would you look at that, Seungmin has Percheron and you just landed there again and all your money is gone! So you decide that without looking at how late it is, you fall on the carpeted floor and start screeching like a toddler while Hwang Hyunjin and Seo Changbin started laughing at you. You sat there and laughed alongside Jisung while I tried to shut. Him. Up.” Chan finally takes a breath after he finished his rant, emphasizing the last three words with aggressive bites of his fry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… fair enough,” Changbin says, partly to appease him, then changes tack. “Remember what Jisung did when he lived in that one hall his second year?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah! Northeast, the one that’s supposedly haunted?” Jeongin asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh shit yeah! So you know how I have my haunted harp and my death whistle right?” Jisung pauses and waits for everyone to acknowledge it. “Right. So, my plan was to throw a white sheet over my head and run through the halls while blowing my death whistle and strumming my harp. I got through it, but then an RA called me out two days later because they said my harp sounded familiar. I managed to scare the shit outta so many residents though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin shudders. “I’m so glad I didn’t live there.”</span>
</p><p> <span>Felix reaches over to pat his shoulder. “I wish, Seungmin. I should have ratted Jisung out. I had a feeling that was you.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Lixie, my soulmate, the love of my life… I love you. Thank you for not ratting me out.” Jisung holds his clenched fist to his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was terrifying, though! It was like midnight or some shit when Ji decided to do that. I was about to finish my homework too…” Felix curls in on himself, still looking slightly afraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung squeezes his hand. “I’m so sorry Lixie. Please forgive me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll think about it.” Felix jokes as he says it with a smile and teasing voice. “Did anyone raise literal hell?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember when Changbin first met me and Lino… He was like ‘I just want to make this clear. I’m gay. If you have an issue with it, suck my dick,’” Chan says, eyeing Minho to finish the story. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That isn’t hell,” Seungmin says dubiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, but Minnie, my response was!” Minho smirks as he looks over at Changbin and then Seungmin. “I said ‘Welcome to hell. I’m your gay demon, and this loser is your bi overlord.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I wish I had come out like that. Not with a stupid ‘this is home of phobia’ joke,” Jisung pouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but then I had to ask ‘are you even gay’ to which you said ‘pan but like same difference’ which made me come out,” Hyunjin laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least people don’t look you up and down and think you’re a het at first glance,” Chan says as he looks at his fries dejectedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, that has definitely happened to me too…” Jeongin shakes his head and takes a bite of his food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awww, the couple that both radiate het energy. I don’t understand why people think you’re hets though,” Seungmin teases.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it the all black? Or is it the niceness? I hope to god whatever it is, people hopefully will see me with my boyfriend and take everything back,” Chan laments, then switches topics. “Do you remember when I told you guys of the tradition of sledding down the hill on stolen trays, and how you all instantly went and did it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well yeah, it’s tradition, I could die, and it seems fun!” Jisung sticks a finger up with each point he makes. “Of course I had to do it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you have no self preservation, but it still worries me that this is still your mindset,” Minho admits.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m here for a good time, not a long time!” Jisung pauses, considering. “Actually, I wanna make 3RACHA a long long time project, so I’ll try not to live fast and die hard.”</span>
</p><p> <span>“Isn’t that—that’s not right.” Changbin tries to figure out why it sounds wrong when it hits him. “It’s live hard, die fast, right?”</span></p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I just know before meeting you guys that’s what I was doing. Thank you for giving me some kind of reason to not become more self destructive.” Jisung tries brushing over how much the group truly affected him and gave him hope, but it’s evident in how suspiciously shiny his eyes are. “I’m not gonna be emo right now; don’t wanna cry into my food. But yeah. I’m really grateful for you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s Felix that comes to his rescue. “Hey, since we were talking about the hill, remember how we found Hyunjin, Jisung, and Minho after that party? They were on top of the rock wall, and they had absolutely no idea how to get down. It’s funny looking back on it, but we never asked. How the fuck did you guys decide that was a good idea while drunk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know, Sir Felix… First of all, thanks for the topic switch. Second of all, everything sounds like a funky fresh idea when you’re drunk.” Jisung uses his fork to exaggerate his statement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Drunk you got the rest of you 2000-and-after-born fools to leave bowling balls on your professors' lawns. And then you had </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> drive.” Minho raises an eyebrow. “I think we’ve established that Jisung is the one with the drunk ideas, and we all just nod our heads and do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s why you guys sent me a picture of like thirty bowling balls and then several pictures of bowling balls on… on</span>
  <em>
    <span> professors’ lawns</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Chan nearly screams at the realization. “Did you get in trouble?”</span>
</p><p> <span>“I mean, no? No one has connected it to us yet? We did wear black from head to toe and stopped by 7-11 to get some candy and Hot Cheetos. And when we put rando elementary school type Scooby-Doo and Disney themed Valentine’s Day cards on windshields in the parking lot, no one connected it to us. Even though we were wearing all black and literally running around in broad daylight! Totally inconspicuous!” Seungmin enthuses, giving Chan a too-sweet smile.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Why the fuck did I decide it was a good idea to leave you guys unsupervised?” Chan asks as he lets his head fall against the back of the seat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You graduated, you oldie. It wasn’t your choice. We just took advantage of it,” Jeongin says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still took advantage of it while Chan was watching over me.” Changbin smiles as he remembers something. “Remember when I bought my betta fish before class, and so I brought it to class because I couldn’t go back to the apartment in time? So I just had my betta fish on my desk while I was learning about chromosomes or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was your betta fish named again?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hyunjin, I named him Squishy, and he was mine,” Changbin deadpans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah. Wasn’t Betty also up for the running?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! I ended up naming him Squishy Betty Seo. Fuck…” Changbin looks at Seungmin in alarm. “Don’t do it again. I know you’re going to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin starts to grin. “I guess Betty was just Seo Squishy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Betrayed by my own boyfriend… Ouch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin can’t pass up the opportunity to tease Changbin either. “Yeah, Binnie. At least we don’t live in Korea. If Squishy was born there, he really would have been Seo Squishy Betty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin, I love you so much, but don’t test me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t hug me. I’ll just fight you,” Jeongin counters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we’re talking about dumb things,” Jeongin continues, “I can tell you what Chan did at the beginning of this school year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Angel, no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Angel, yes.” Jeongin gives Chan a look that tells him he’s going to do it anyway. “It was probably like October and I was complaining about this class. Chan, biggest boy of us all—has a car, is responsible big boy—simply said, and I quote, ‘I should go get dinner somewhere. Maybe McDonald’s… Nah, I don’t have pants on. Can’t do that.’ And then he literally stopped replying for two hours.” Jeongin sips on his milkshake, finishing it off while waiting for the others' reactions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Lixie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was probably extremely sleep deprived, and yeah... Yeah, that’s really the only explanation I can give you.” Chan lets out a few nervous giggles before moving his hand to scratch at the back of his neck. The slight lull in the conversation after this comment gave time for everyone to finish eating and drinking as much as they could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin is the first to break the silence. “I’m gonna miss this. All the stupid shenanigans we’ve gotten into over the years. It’s just weird seeing us go all over the place. I’m staying here, Lino’s going across America on tour, Lixie and Minnie are going to Sydney with 3RACHA, ‘n Jeongin’s going back to Busan… We’re gonna be in so many different time zones. I dunno what I’m gonna do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re gonna do our best, Jinnie. We’re gonna call and spam the group chat and make sure to support whatever happens. Whether it’ll be when Jeongin finds a job he likes and gets it, or we get a world tour announcement. We support each other like we always have, just—just virtually.” Chan squeezes Jeongin’s hand as he finishes his statement. “We’re always gonna make time for each other. I know we will because I will, and we all know that’s saying something. Wherever we may be, everywhere and anywhere, we’ll always find each other. M’kay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeongin takes one slow look at the table during Chan’s spiel, and it’s obvious everyone’s been affected by what he said. It isn’t a goodbye, it isn’t a see you later, and it isn’t a hello. It’s a new chapter in everyone’s life; it’s a close to the chapter they had together in college. In a few years, they’ll reminisce on these same memories, but there will be new stories from their jobs. Minho will talk about various cities he gets to see as a dancer on tour. 3RACHA will be able to talk about the same thing but from the main artist’s point of view, and they’ll be able to share stories from behind the scenes. Jeongin will hopefully be able to talk about the years of kids he’s dealt with when he becomes a kindergarten teacher. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they converse with each other about memories old and decisions to come, all Jeongin can think about is how the last few years were something unpredictable, but in the end so right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah… He’s had the time of his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So take the photographs and still frames in your mind</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Green Day</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm thinking about making this a series and fully writing out the shenanigans I've mentioned in this story. We'll see. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Feel free to leave a kudo or a comment if you so desire.</p><p>Thank you so much to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiraethSatisfied/pseuds/straythoughts"> straythoughts </a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguamala/pseuds/aguamala"> aguamala </a> who helped beta this. You guys are absolute god sends, and I don't think my fic would be as fantastic as it is without you.</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="https://twitter.com/ghostingscb"> Twitter!! </a><br/><a href="https://curiouscat.qa/ghostingscb"> Curious Cat if you wanna remain anonymous!! </a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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